Good Management Practices For poultry Farm wastes and Slaughterhouse Waste in India
DR DIPAK SINGH, TECH. MANAGER, VENKY’S
Poultry is one of the fastest growing segments of the agricultural sector in India. Crop production alone may not solve the food difficulty of the fast growing population of our country, thus poultry production has been the appropriate answer for fulfilment of requirements of balanced diet. Advancement in knowledge and technology intensifies the growth of poultry production in developing countries where there are economic constraints. In India Poultry meat, contributes approx 47 – 50 percent of total meat production. With the expanding wings of poultry industry, it’s also increasing the challenges to properly manage the waste produced from it. The poultry industry produces large amounts of hatchery waste which includes solid waste and wastewater. The solid hatchery waste includes empty shells, bedding material, excreta, feed, feathers, infertile eggs, dead embryos, late hatchings and dead chickens and a viscous liquid from eggs and decaying tissue. Water used to wash incubators, hatchers and chick handling areas produces the wastewater. Apart from this wastewater also comes from faeces, urine, saw dust, remnants of drugs pesticides and disinfection of chicken houses and abattoirs.
The poultry industry in India now is the fastest growing segment of the livestock sector with 12.39% present annual growth rate . India is the third largest egg producer and 4th largest chicken meat producer in the world with production estimates of 3.22 million tons of broiler meat and 73 billion numbers of eggs during the year 2014-2015 and is expected to reach 4 million tones and 80 billion respectively in the year 2016-17 . Nearly 50 million people are employed in poultry industry with around 1,000 hatcheries operating across India . With high levels of concentrated production, it involves generation of large volumes of waste. Poultry farm waste includes mixture of urinary and faecal excreta, bedding material or litter, waste feed, dead birds, broken eggs, packing material and feathers . One of the major problems currently faced by the poultry industry is the accumulation of a large amount of waste especially manure and litter generated by intensive production which poses different environmental, social and economic problems, requiring prompt and regular removal and disposal of such waste for proper biosecurity . Currently poultry farm waste is disposed of by burial, incineration, rendering, or landfilling . Each of these processes however, has its unique flaws like cost involvement, labour intensiveness, production of environmental pollutants and obnoxious odour etc . Therefore, developing a technically feasible and economically viable method for this purpose would benefit both large and small scale poultry farms and processing units. In this regard, early disposal of poultry farm wastes with efficient method is an important waste management tool for raising healthy and profitable poultry farming activity. Composting is an environmentally sound, inexpensive method of processing poultry farm waste into valuable manure . Composting when properly operated, reduces the volume of the organic waste and destroys pathogens effectively . The end product of compost resembles humus and can be used as soil amendment. Thus the use of composting processes for recycling and transformation of wastes may be a good way for further utilization of the disposed end product in future.
Types of poultry waste
- Poultry manure
2. Hatchery waste
3. Slaughter house and processing plant waste
4. Dead bird - POULTRY MANURE
Two main types of waste are produced by poultry enterprises depending on the rearing system adopted on the farm
- Poultry litter – Waste from deep litter systems
• Cage layer waste – Excreta collected under the cages, spilled feed and feathers.
Poultry manure contains
| · Nitrogen | · Zinc |
| · Phosphorus | · Copper |
| · Potassium | · Boron |
| · Calcium | · Iron |
| · Sulfur | · Manganese |
| · Magnesium |
- Drying
- Oldest, cheapest and feasible method
• Dried under sunlight and depends on lengths of time, climate and humidity.
• Drying the manure with heat results in loss of energy and nitrogen.
• Thin bed drying prevents the breeding of flies, reduces obnoxious odours and maintains the nutrient value of the manure particles.
• The faster the manure is dried, the higher is the nitrogen value. - Heaping
- Deep stacking of poultry waste produces considerable heat and had been shown to destroy coliforms.
• The maximum temperature was reportedly attained in 4-8 days. - Poultry manure as organic fertilizer
- Poultry manure applications increase the moisture holding capacity of the soil
• Improve lateral water movement, improves irrigation efficiency and decreases drought
• Improve soil retention and uptake of plant nutrients.
• Increase the number and diversity of soil microorganisms. - Biogas / Electricity generation from poultry litter
- Poultry litter has a good calorific value for power generation by combustion under controlled conditions.
• The technology for anaerobic conversion of poultry manure to biogas (methane) has been developed.
• Electricity production facilities estimated assuming poultry litter utilization rates of 1000 tons/year, 10,000 tons/year, and 50,000 tons/year for various technologies range from 34–70 kW, 340–700 kW, and 1.7–3.5 MW, respectively.
• Economic analysis accounting for capital expenditures, operation and maintenance costs, litter cleanout and transportation, and recoverable sludge/ash value reveal that gasification at a small scale (100 kW) and medium scale (1 MW) is potentially economically viable compared to anaerobic digestion and combustion. - Composting
- Can be stored for long time
• Aerobic bacterial action occurs
• The top foot is composed of fresh manure, the bottom foot is in an anaerobic condition and the central portion is undergoing composting.
• The essential requirement in managing the deep pit is that the fresh, wet material be adequately aerated to remove the moisture.
• To further the composting process and to prevent odours the pit must be watertight so that seepage water cannot enter.
• Little or no odour arising from the pits and manure removal may be delayed for years. - Pond disposal
- Fresh poultry manure may be flushed into an open, shallow pond.
• Bacterial action reduces the waste material to a smaller volume.
• Bacterial growth occurs only during the warm months, the use of ponds is seasonal.
• The resulting solution may be spread in its liquid state on farmland.
• Aerobic action produces little odour as the sludge builds up, anaerobic activity takes place and odours may be pronounced. - Aeration
- Water is poured into the trough to keep the manure fluid and pumps keep the sludge circulating. The effluent is aerated by paddles.
• The addition of oxygen by the paddles increases the activity of aerobic bacteria, greatly reducing the incidence of any odours.
• The material is removed in liquid form and usually spread on the land. The material is practically odourless. - HATCHERY WASTE DISPOSAL
- Solid hatchery waste comprises empty shells, infertile eggs, dead embryos, late hatchings and dead chickens and a viscous liquid from eggs and decaying tissue.
• Wastewater comes from water used to wash down incubators, hatchers and chick handling areas.
• Traditional disposal methods for solid hatchery waste include land fill, composting, rendering, and incineration. - Power generation
- The hatchery waste can be automatically fed by conveyor belts into a furnace which is equipped with a rotating shredder unit for chopping and grinding solid waste.
• An incinerator system can be used as a furnace to heat the solid and liquid waste to produce steam.
• The steam can power a turbine generator to produce electricity. - Rendering
- Simultaneously dries the material and separates the fat from the protein and yields fat and a protein meal should be pathogen free.
- Autoclaved and extruded
- Extruded or autoclaved hatchery waste could be used as livestock feed.
- Boiling
- Hatchery waste should be boiled at 100ºC with a pressure of 2.2 kg/cm2 for 15 min; then boiled again at 100ºC for 5 hours, followed by boiling at 130ºC for 1 h then cooled to ambient temperature.
• Dead embryos could be boiled for 100ºC for 30 min, soaked in cold water for 20 min to remove shells, sun dried for 4d and used in poultry feed. - Ensiling
- The eggs were mixed in a 1:1 ratio with formic and propionic acids for 8 weeks at room temperature.
• The acids act by intervening specifically in the metabolism of the microorganisms involved in spoilage.
• The reduction in the pH creates an environment which is unfavourable for microorganisms. The rapid reduction in the pH diminishes the growth of bacteria which produce butyric acid and ammonia and promotes the growth of lactic acid-producing bacteria.
• The lactic acid is responsible for the low pH necessary for storage of the by-product before being used in animal feed. - Composting
- Composting is a common method for solid organic waste disposal.
• The decomposition of organic waste is performed by aerobic bacteria, yeasts and fungi. The composting process kills pathogens, converts ammonia nitrogen to organic nitrogen
• The product can be used as a fertilizer.
• Disadvantages of composting are loss of some nutrients including nitrogen.
• Composting with litter eliminates Salmonella
• The hatchery waste can be mixed with wood shavings to reduce the moisture then composted.
• The composter turns manure, litter, sour feed stuffs and carcasses into compost in 4 days with minimal labour and mechanical devices. - Anaerobic digestion systems
- High efficiency process
• Produces biogas for power generation or heating
• The bio-solids may be used as a high quality fertilizer and generation of electricity
• Anaerobic digestion of organic waste by microbial organisms to produce methane and inorganic products - SLAUGHTER HOUSE WASTE DISPOSAL
- Rendering is a process of cooking and sterilizing non-edible waste
• Best options for treatment of non-edible wastes by converting waste into meat meal
• Poultry bye-product hydrolyzed feather meal (or PBHFM) or simply Meat Meal.
Advantages of rendering:
- Rendering is more effective and profitable
• Converts entire poultry waste into high protein sterilized meat meal
• Prevents environment pollution by disposing of all biological waste
• Meat meal is used for making animal feed - DEAD BIRD DISPOSAL
- Burying
- Disposal of birds for small farms that cannot construct an incinerator.
• Deep hole may be dug and carcasses buried deeply to prevent worms from carrying infections from the carcass to the surface of the ground
• Deep narrow trench can also be used - Pit disposal
- Effective and convenient method for disposal of dead birds.
• 150 feet from the poultry houses and water supply
• Flies and insects should not enter the pit
• The pit should be covered with tar paper or plastic
• The pit should be near the post mortem room
• Practical size for pit is about 1.8 m square by 2.4 m deep with drop tube
• Tight fitting lid on the upper end of the tube to prevent the escape of foul odours and the entrance of flies. - Incineration
- Burning of the carcass
• An incinerator is a furnace used for burning.
• Incineration process uses electricity, firewood or oil
• Electrical or oil-fired incineration is the best available technology
• Rapid destruction of disease-producing organisms, leaving only a small amount of
• Ash which can be distributed on the land
• Smokeless and odourless burning with minimal air pollution - Septic tank disposal
- Breaking down the carcasses and waste products in an electrically heated septic tank by the action of mesophilic bacteria.
• Heat is applied at 37.8ºC and requires 2-3 kwh per day of electricity to maintain this temperature for the two weeks needed for destruction of all but the bones of the carcasses.
• The bacterial action and speed of decomposition can be accelerated by adding lime and hot water at intervals.
• Usually a tank of 2000 litre capacity is required for a flock of 10000 birds. - Composting
- Composting reduce and transform organic waste into a useful end product called “compost”.
• Alternate layers of litter and paddy straw and dead birds and water
• Finally, the carcasses are covered with a layer of manure.
• Once full, a final cover of litter is placed over the carcasses.
• The temperature of the compost increases rapidly to 60-70ºC within 10 days.
• Decomposition starts and kills micro-organisms.
• Temperature decreases after 14-21 days later
• At this point, the material is moved to the secondary bins
• Aerated and allowed for a second rise in temperature.
• The compost material can be safety stored
• 10 m3 of bin space is required for every 1000 kg of carcass. - Rendering
- Rendering is a heating process that extracts usable ingredients, such as protein meals and fats.
• Rendering converts the inedible results from the slaughtering process into meat meal, bone meal, and feather meal
The following methods may be followed as pre-treatment or method for rendering
- Daily pickup
- Daily pickup of poultry carcasses leads to disease transmission.
• Biosecurity should be practiced.
• Central carcass disposal sites should be used for commercial conditions - Freezing
- Dead birds can be stored on the farm in freezing condition until they can be rendered.
• Freezing reduces or eliminate pollution and improve conditions on the farm - Fermentation
- Mixes dead birds (which have been ground into 1-inch particles) with a fermentable carbohydrate source, such as sugar, whey, ground corn, or molasses.
• Reduces the pH level so that pathogenic microorganisms are inactivated and the organic materials are preserved.
• Biologically safe, pathogen free safely transported to a rendering plant, recovery of nutrients and recycled into usable foodstuffs or animal feed. - Acid Preservation
- Propionic, phosphoric, or sulfuric acid is added to carcasses.
• Stored in airtight, plastic containers
• Eliminate the potential for transmitting pathogenic microorganisms
Advantages of rendering
- Removal of all mortalities from the farm.
• Eliminates environmental pollution
• Nutrient losses, water quality, and recycling for profit increase
Hatchery waste is very rich in protein containing around 33 % crude protein (CP). Poultry waste also lead to pollution of environment, through its offensive odours, promotion of fly and rodent breeding, high protein waste and high nitrogen losses. These further result in enrichment of ground water through seepage, lakes or streams, pathogen distribution, production of phytotoxic substances, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore proper disposal and management of poultry waste is very essential.
HATCHERY WASTE MANAGEMENT AND UTILIZATION
- SOIL AMENDMENT
Application of poultry manure improve water holding capacity of soil thereby improving irrigation potentiality, physical properties of degraded soil and decreasing the dryness of soils . Thus spreading poultry manure thinly on the soil instead of dumping in a heap is one of the way for soil improvement.
- LIVESTOCK FEEDING
Poultry litter has been used in diets for poultry, lambs, ewes, swine, lactating cows etc. The maximum inclusion rate of poultry waste in ruminant feeds is 20% [National Research Council (NRC) (1984)]. Adding poultry litter into buffalo or cattle rations at a level of 20% or higher (as fed basis) fulfils crude protein, calcium and phosphorus requirement. Addition of poultry litter at a level of 30% into corn silage also known to have beneficiary effect. Dried poultry waste contains around 28% protein and is an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron and zinc. It is suggested that ensiling poultry waste, i.e. slaughterhouse wastes with molasses and lactobacilli improves NPN and reduces pathogens. Advances in the treatment and processing of feathers and offal leads to production of value-added feed ingredients and are making this practice more attractive in some regions.
III. BIO ENERGY PRODUCTION
Poultry manure and litter is rich in organic matter which can be transform into bioenergy. In this process, manure is digested anaerobically that produces a gas mixture with varying concentrations of combustible methane. Biogas is a source of energy; it can be used as a fuel for engines, generation of electricity and other energy consuming purposes.
- MANAGEMENT OF FEATHERS
Feathers can be converted to feather meal for the usage as animal feed, organic fertilizers and feed supplements, as it is made up of >90% protein. Further feather utilization includes:
POULTRY WASTE DISPOSAL METHODS
The disposal of poultry carcasses has environmental, biological, and financial concern therefore they are not disposed of by dumping on any public road or right-of-way left where they may be consumed by animals.
There are several ways of disposing of poultry waste including; burial, rendering, incineration, compositing, feed for livestock, fertilizer or source of energy.
Poultry waste management is difficult and challenging, due to may of its linked problems, like nitrate and heavy metal contamination in crops, soil, water, offensive odour; disposal of dead birds and food safety. Feathers, blood, and other waste material are being processed and utilized as high-protein animal feed sources or as fertilizer due to its high nitrogen content. Poultry industry contributes an in economy of nation as well as improving the standard of living of people. The proper utilization and disposal of poultry waste will help in avoiding the unnecessary discomfort to living beings and environment. The decomposition of the waste must be done with proper handing and care to avoid any risk of disease outbreak and to prevent environment pollution.
POULTRY SLAUGHTER WASTE MANAGEMENT
Poultry Waste Management Practices in India
